Now more than ever suppliers in the meetings & events industry are struggling; we are all going through a difficult time due to COVID-19 pandemic. But how do you stay in touch with your target audience nowadays? And what kind of content do you post which is relevant today and for the near future? Have you thought of influencers? Perhaps not!
Therefore we want to give you insight, easy to implement tips on a shoestring budget. Because we have a wrong perception of influencers and we want to change your perception. We want to help you to go through these challenging times together.
Now more than ever influencers play a crucial role, they have an audience of followers. These followers trust the influencer and rely on them for tips and suggestions on how to go through these rough times. And it’s not about sales, it’s about trust and relevance.
What are the B2B Influencer Marketing chat series?
Welcome to our LIVE interviews where we talk about B2B influencer marketing in the world of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events). We speak with people from all around the globe about the role, the meaning, the impact and the possibilities of B2B Influencer Marketing on social media and networking platforms. We share case studies, discuss influencer marketing campaigns for destinations and other suppliers from our industry and beyond.
Our hosts for the first series of 10 episodes are Mariska Kesteloo and Alessia di Raimondo.
Who should join our LIVE sessions on Zoom
People from the meetings & events industry and beyond! Planners & suppliers are welcome. If you are working in a hotel, or for a destination, airline, DMC or at the other side as an event planner, join the session.
A practical interview where you get concrete tips on how to continue your communication together with influencers these challenging times, on a shoestring budget. It’s our aim to support planners & suppliers from the MICE industry with our passion and knowledge about B2B influencer marketing, to spread your story in an appropriate way during this pandemic.
How to join the B2B Influencer Marketing chat series?
Join us every Thursday at 1 pm CEST /12 pm GMT LIVE on Zoom. You can participate and ask questions to our special guests. This is the most engaging way to be part of our series of interviews.
Follow us on Eventbrite and sign up for the next live interviews with influencers, entrepreneurs, and many other interesting guests from the MICE industry and beyond. You can register and participate for free.
World of MICE – events on Eventbrite – free registration
What if you missed a live episode?
In case you missed our live session, listen to our conversation on your favorite podcast channel. We upload the whole interview to the following podcast channels: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Radio Public.
Blog posts
Do you prefer reading over listening? You can read the entire conversation from each interview on our website.
1. Alessia di Raimondo and Mariska Kesteloo
During this episode with Alessia and Mariska we will cover the following topics:
- How to set up a successful B2B influencer marketing campaign in 6 steps?
- How to find the right influencers for your company
- Budget friendly tips in these turbulent times of global pandemic
Listen to our conversation on Spotify podcast or read a blog post How to set up a successful B2B influencer marketing campaign.
2. Patrick de Pauw – Employer Branding
For our upcoming edition we have invited Patrick de Pauw, co-founder from Social Seeder, to talk about employer branding and of course influencer marketing.
What will you learn from Patrick:
- What is employer branding?
- Why is employer branding now more important than ever?
- What is the link between influencer marketing and employer branding?
- And how companies can benefit from the use of influencer marketing and employer branding?
- Receive suggestions and ideas what you can do to keep your target audience and employees engaged
Listen to our conversation on Spotify podcast.
3. Giovanna Lucherini – Destination Marketing
For our upcoming edition we have invited Giovanna Lucherini, director of the Napoli Convention Bureau in Italy to talk about destination marketing and of course influencer marketing. What will you learn?
- Why has Napoli chosen to work influencers dedicated to the meetings & events industry?
- The role of influencers during the campaign and after?
- The outcome of the Napoli Convention Bureau campaign
- The role and responsibilities of influencers during the Covid-19
- The future of destination marketing and the role of influencers
Listen to our conversation with Giovanna Lucherini on Spotify.
4. Ivo Franschitz & Henrik von Arnold – Ambassadors & Influencer Marketing
For our upcoming edition we have invited Ivo Franschitz and Henrik von Arnold, the co-founders of Enited, to talk about the role of ambassadors of tomorrow, and B2B influencer marketing. What will you learn?
- The current definition and role of ambassadors & influencers for destinations
- Why do play ambassadors now and in the near future a bigger role, especially during Covid-19 and after?
- What are the benefits of an ambassadors program on a short and long term?
- How can you adapt your current ambassadors program?
- How do you select the right ambassadors and keep them involved on a long term?
You can listen to our conversation on Spotify.
5. Keith Jenkins – Ambassadors & Influencers
For our upcoming edition, we will host Keith Jenkins, the founder of iambassador – the leading travel influencer network. In this edition we will talk about the challenges of the travel influencers, and the role of influencers now and in the near future in the travel & MICE industry. What will you learn?
- The role and impact of travel influencers before Covid-19
- How travel influencers have pivot their businesses
- How destinations and other suppliers can benefit from influencers and what are the reasons to work with travel or MICE influencers
- What the MICE industry can learn from the travel industry
- The future of influencers for the travel & MICE industry
Listen to our conversation with Keith Jenkins on Spotify.
6. Dries de Geyter & Dennis Lippens – How to measure the success of your B2B influencer marketing campaign?
For our upcoming edition we have invited Dries de Geyter and Dennis Lippens, founders of Deer Lord Games, and passionate digital marketers. In this edition we will talk about the challenges of how to measure the success of a B2B influencer marketing campaign.
A crucial question to ask yourself and your team: how will we know our B2B influencer campaign is a success? This question is often posed as “What is the ROI (Return On Investment)? The exact return is incredibly tricky to calculate, but there are different measures of success and you should be very mindful about how you will quantify success if you want to keep winning. And if you don’t measure your mistakes, you’re doomed to repeat them. What will you learn?
- How to structure your B2B influencer marketing campaign?
- How to define the outcome of your campaigns?
- What are the tools and platforms you can use to measure the outcome?
- The metrics clients and influencers can use themselves to track the data?
- Insights how and when to measure the outcome after the campaign
Listen to our conversation with Dries and Dennis about How to measure the impact B2B influencer marketing campaign.
7. Amanda Thurlow & Sabrina Meyers – How to work with influencers in the MICE industry?
For our upcoming edition we have invited Amanda Thurlow, Sabrina Meyers and not to forget Alessia di Raimondo, all passionate MICE influencers.
A question we receive a lot, how can an influencer contribute to my company? There are many options and possibilities and therefore we will talk with 3 passionate influencer from the industry to gain more insights about their work. Also to which projects they have contributed in the past, the tasks they have done, and of course how the pandemic has impacted their business.
In this edition we will talk about the work of the influencers, and what they can do for your company and the projects they have done in the past. What will you learn?
- Understanding the process; how to work with influencers?
- How to select the right influencer for a campaign?
- How influencers have changed their business during Covid-19?
Listen to our conversation with MICE influencers on Spotify.
8. Rupa Shah – Influencers & brands: what are we allowed to do and what not?
For our upcoming edition, we have invited Rupa Shah, owner of Hashtag Ad Consulting. She’s an authority in the industry and with her years of knowledge, we will dive into this important and often ‘overseen’ topic.
If you are a brand, what are the rules and regulations that you need to apply if you start working with influencers? Yes, there are rules that you need to apply. But some of the criticisms still levelled at it are that it is unregulated; it is the Wild West of the marketing world; that influencer fraud, fake followers and non-disclosure of paid-for relationships is rife. But is that really the case? And is it a global problem or are there just a few rogue states where this kind of marketing anarchy is tolerated?
What will you learn?
- Insights about the rules and regulations for companies if they start working with influencers
- What are the obligations for the influencers who are involved in the campaign?
- Important items about cross border campaigns
- Examples from professional examples who applied the rules & regulations
Listen to our conversation on Spotify with Rupa about ads and regulations for influencers.
9. Julius Solaris – Influencers in the MICE industry
We are excited to announce that we will interview Julius Solaris, one of the biggest influencers from the MICE industry. Julius Solaris is the founder of Event Manager Blog. During this interview we will gain insights about his journey, how he got started with blogging and where’s standing today being acquired by Skift.
What will you learn from Julius Solaris?
- Gain insights from the biggest influencer in the MICE industry; how Julius started with his blog and where’s he’s standing today
- The growing importance of digital marketing
- How to get started as a MICE blogger
- His vision on the world of B2B influencer marketing and influencer marketing in general
Listen to conversation with Julius Solaris on Spotify.
10. Tom Augenthaler and David Wing- B2B Influencer Marketing in different industries
We are excited to announce that in the final episode we will interview Tom Augenthaler and David Wing, both known in the world of B2B influencer marketing. During this interview, we will gain insights into how other industries have implemented B2B influencer marketing, what have they learned from their failures and successes. And besides they will share relevant case studies.
Tom Augenthaler is the founder of the The Influencer Marketer, speaker, consultant and trainer. David Wing founded Wing Digital Marketing. Two passionate founders and fans of B2B influencer marketing.
What will you learn from B2B?
- Gain insights how other industries have implemented B2B influencer marketing
- The failures and successes stories
- B2B influencer marketing case studies
- The role of influencers and thought leaders in a B2B environment
- Their vision on the future of B2B influencer marketing
Listen to our conversation with Tom Augenthaler and David Wing on Spotify.
Jois us
If you have an inspiring story and/or experience which could be relevant for our audience, please contact us: mariska@wordofmice.com
Meet Word of MICE
Word of MICE is the first and only global influencer community for the MICE industry. We inspire hotels, venues, destinations and other suppliers to employ Social Media Influencers as an integral part of their brand strategy and explore the true potential of influencer marketing. We create unique creative, tailor-made campaigns for all suppliers in the MICE industry over the globe.
Our B2B clients appreciate our years of experience in the MICE industry combined with an innovative product to bring their brand awareness to the next level.
Event Talks Eventowa Blogerka Podcast with Mariska Kesteloo
In April and May, Mariska Kesteloo travelled around Poland in her camper. Agnieszka Ciesielska recorded a podcast with Mariska in Poznan. Agnieszka is an eventprof and blogger from Poland. You can visit Agnieszka`s blog here Eventowa Blogerka.
Agnieszka and Mariska’s talks are endless, especially as they are skimming around the discussion about the approach to the new reality, survival, and development in the coming months.
Listen to the conversation on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or here on Anchor.
After a few moments, the two ladies feel that they have found a common understanding. Their MICE market perception is similar, although the places where they live and work seem distant…We invite you to an interview recorded by Agnieszka Ciesielska with our own Mariska Kesteloo .
The conversation covers several important aspects, some of them still relevant:
- Agnieszka asks about #MariskaJourney Mariska’s trip to Poland in her camper, plans for the subsequent visits to other cities, and what she went through a year ago in her private life. It is a touching story of a woman who has lost the closest love of her life in an unequal struggle with the disease.
- Another Agnieszka`s question is about her observations on the constantly flowing refugees from Ukraine and how to continue to support them. The topic is already getting not very popular… our national optimism died out at the beginning of May. At that time, when we were recording our conversation, Polish people had a massive record of energy supporting our neighbours from Ukraine.
- Behind us is not an easy business time, pandemic, downtime, and no orders. Whether Poland or the Netherlands, where Mariska lives. Our reality has hit our businesses very hard. The impact on the meeting and event industry was huge at that time. Conflict escalation in Ukraine forced people to flee their homes, seeking safety, protection, and assistance. In the first five weeks, four million refugees from Ukraine crossed borders into neighbouring countries and most of them to Poland. How can the event industry be reborn in such a dynamic situation? What is Mariska’s advice? How to keep doing what we love continuously? How to find a golden means for life in such brutal pandemic or geopolitical times?
- At the beginning of pandemia Aga started providing online events on online avatar-based platforms avatarland.eu. Mariska company: Word of MICE is the first and only global influencer community for the MICE industry. How do our businesses change at different times of the year? What can we advise our colleagues in the MICE industry for the future?
- In the post-pandemic world, we can hear about a trend to redesign marketing strategies and information shared with tourism as new possibilities for Event Managers: new destinations, experiences, and services positively influence our clients? Are we ready to define it from the begging?
How to value your working experience as a freelance event planner?
I don’t need you to say that it’s been a huge challenge to remain positive in these unprecedented times. And moreover how to generate a continuous stream of revenue? Let us be straight forward, and perhaps I can say this being a Dutch, as we are known for our straightforward opinion, but it’s true right? Let’s face the reality. Let me inspire you sharing some tips you haven’t thought
Have you thought of going to the next level with your experience? And to become an industry expert and to value your knowledge and network?
Tell me more
Let me start with the beginning
Suppliers are struggling to get in touch with their target audience, people like you, event planners. In these very dynamic times it’s not easy to find the way, how to communicate, what is appropriate and what not? Which channels and which message? And in this complicated landscape in which the overall rules and regulations for our industry change continuously in each country.
And moreover to get through the noise of online messages and to find trustworthy messages, who are authentic and coming from true persons.
Suppliers are looking for support from you, event professionals who are experts in their field, passionate about organising events and who are close and daily in touch with their audience.
Wouldn’t it be interesting to get paid to do your passion? Yes, this is possible.
Let’s start with the definition B2B influencer marketing.
B2B influencer marketing is part of your marketing strategy by using industry experts who represent your target audience to get in touch or to stay in touch with your desired audience and bring insightful perspectives to the forefront, and build brand trust and credibility.
*Source TopRank Marketing
Therefore we need people like you!
What is the next step?
Let me be clear, you need to be an insider of the industry with at least 5 years working experience in the field. If you don’t have any working experience, you probably don’t have the right followers and moreover you are not trustworthy to share your opinion about an industry topic.
Next, the meetings & events industry is broad; we have all sorts of niches like incentives, corporate events, large conferences, events dedicated for small international associations. What I would like to say is, choose your niche and stick to it. Whatever you do, you are the expert in your field. And that’s how to create your authority, your unique followers and building up your community.
What can you do?
Much more than you think. First of all you know what event professionals, the organisers need, what makes you decide to read the article or to fill in a poll? On which channels are you active and what do you see as trends and evolving in your community? Next, are you active in an industry association? Perhaps you could share your experiences in a blog, or live during an event or take part in a panel discussion during an industry event.
Next, you are daily in touch with your audience, you know their needs, pain points and challenges. Perhaps you could propose to do a trial with one of the new upcoming features? And don’t forget the upcoming trends for 2022, social audio, sustainability and hybrid events are here to stay.
Strategy is key
We see that strategy is sometimes an obstacle, how to create and to write a strategy for a potential client or collaboration. Let me be honest, it’s a challenge for everyone nowadays as it’s very difficult to predict what’s going to happen.
But if you write a proposal, you need to replace yourself in the minds of the clients. What do they need, what are their expectations? Do research and dive into the world of the world wide web where you can find lots of interesting insights about your client. And the more indepth you do your research, or perhaps you know the client, the better you can write a proposal. Or just ask for more details and information.
And it’s not from one day to another that magic will happen, therefore B2B influencer marketing is a combination of online and offline activities supporting the strategy of the client. Which is in alignment with your values and vision.
We have a bridge to gap
What I have noticed is that industry experts come up with the most exciting ideas but that’s not always a fit for the client, despite it will do good or they might need it. Sometimes it’s just a bridge too far. Therefore do your research, are you working with a corporate client with a commercial purpose or a convention bureau fully supported by the government? These are two worlds apart.
Compensation
Always a challenge but try to be reasonable. How much time does it take to create a post, to publish it, and to analyze and to collect the data? And don’t forget to include the calls with your client and follow-up emails. Count the hours that you need to accomplish these tasks. Don’t underprize yourself, try to be reasonable.
More inspiration and information you can find it here https://www.wordofmice.com/influencer-marketing-proposal-brands
Good luck and see you soon!
MICE regards,
Mariska
TikTok Challenge to get eventprofs ready for the B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series
Let`s talk about TikTok
Why are event professionals not engaged with TikTok? Is it fear, lack of awareness, makes you feel old or even just want to ignore a social media platform which has over 850M active users worldwide? Wait, what?
60% of TikTok users are Gen Zers, the trendsetters, trend breakers and influence changes globally whether we like to admit it or not. I can imagine many event professionals would rather ignore this social media and just wait for the trend to be over so they can just go back to posting their same old content.
Yes TikTok could be replaced with another social media platform later on but it’s the fact that you have missed a key demographic who are all eager to have their voices heard and prosper in their dream career whilst most of the world is against the #NextGen succeeding.
Now, why is this a problem? It’s a problem because if you have forgot to include a demographic which in the next couple of years will be your customers, employers and competition you have been erased from their minds. The next generation consume content everywhere they go, advertisements trying to get them to buy their products and follow them on social media. They can decide in less than six seconds whether to keep on scrolling or to give you the benefit of the doubt.
TikTok is the platform to be on but it’s important you understand:
- what it is
- who uses the platform
- why you should be on TikTok,
- how to best use the functions and insider tips and tricks
Will you be joining us for the 4 Day TikTok Challenge #wordofmicetiktokers?
TikTok Challenge for eventprofs
Will you be joining Nyomi Rose, Mariska Kestloo, Jaroslaw Marciuk for the 4 Day TikTok Challenge to get you ready for the B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series? So, come and join us and leverage yourself on TikTok to make sure your event business or even personal brand is future proof.
Day 1’s TikTok Challenge is for everyone to, Get to know you!
Introduce who you are, share what you do and a fun fact perhaps. This is a great TikTok to film even if you already use TikTok or to introduce yourself to 850 million active users. There are different ways you can film this type of TikTok such as; Pointing to different places on the screen and then adding text over the top or by going into the templates section on the record tab and begin uploading images that represent your brand, company or events you plan.
- Introduce yourself to TikTok, this can be educational!
- A song that empowers you, use a sound in TikTok Viral, you can find these in the sounds tab when you go to record your video.
- Use TikTok hashtags: #introduceyourselfchallenge #intro #viral #introducemyself
@mariskakestelooMy first video on TikTok ?##eventprofs ##wordofmicetiktokers @whatnyomidoes
Make sure you check out the TikTok from Nyomi Rose over on her profile at @whatnyomidoes and get inspired by her take on the Day 1 TikTok Challenge. Don’t forget to use #wordofmicetiktokers so I can easily find your TikTok!
Day 2’s TikTok Challenge is to share your misunderstandings of TikTok!
This is a great TikTok to film as you can put a funny twist on the video but it’s important to show your preconceptions or judgements about TikTok but then share positives you are learning from the platform! There are many different ways you can film this type of TikTok but you need to make sure this is entertaining as comedy is loved on this platform.
- Share what you thought about TikTok, this can be entertaining!
- A song that makes you laugh or is just silly, use sounds from the TikTok Dance and LOL Sound sections, you can find these in the sounds tab when you go to record your video.
- This time use hashtags from the Discover tab that are trending, use hashtags that resonate the most with your TikTok.
Make sure you check out the TikTok from Nyomi Rose over on her profile at @whatnyomidoes and get inspired by her take on the Day 2 TikTok Challenge. Don’t forget to use #wordofmicetiktokers so Nyomi can easily find your TikTok!
Day 3’s Challenge is to share what you are currently doing to inspire or empower the #NextGen as they are your future employees and business partners
60% of TikTokers are Gen Zers, so it’s important you share that you aren’t just doing TikTok for the fun of it, you want to be visible to the #NextGen and inspire them to be part of the events industry. This type of TikTok can be filmed in a variety of ways; Pointing to different places on the screen and then adding text over the top, using a filter that allows you to share videos or images or even a filter that celebrates your commitments to the #NextGen. Have a browse!
- Share what you are doing to leverage young people in your workplace or how you empower others around you, this is inspiring.
- A song that is motivating, fun and empowering, use sounds from the Hot 40, Sport Energy or Hip-Hop Fire tab, you can find these in the sounds tab when you go to record your video.
- Use hashtags: #futureleader #empower #Learnontiktok #goals
Day 4’s TikTok Challenge is to share what you are going to use TikTok for in the era of Coronavirus
This is time to let people know more about your journey which is important because everyone loves a story and how you got to where you are. Just remember this is to a Gen Z audience so this needs to be something they care about such as if you vacancies to recruit young talent, you have webinars or events that can help them level up in their career, why your company is the best to work at or even if you have advice you would tell your younger self.
@themiceblog What’s your pivot this year ##eventprofs? ##2020Wrapped ##edutok ##wordofmicetiktokers @whatnyomidoes
This type of TikTok can be filmed in many ways; Pointing to your top 3 solutions on the screen and add text, show your story by recording your voice so you can directly tell the audience or even do a workplace tour!
- Share top tips on how you got into the events industry and built your brand
- A song that is trending, use sounds from the Pop hits or Retro Fun tab, you can find these in the sounds tab when you go to record your video.
- Use Tik Tok hashtags: #NextGen #trending #millennials #GenZ
Make sure you check out the TikTok from Nyomi over on her profile at @whatnyomidoes and get inspired by her take on the Day 4 TikTok Challenge. Don’t forget to use #wordofmicetiktokers.
Have fun and let`s talk about TikTok Influencer Marketing
How many videos have you shared on TikTok? Join our special host Nyomi Rose and let`s talk about TikTok and Influencer Marketing. During this episode we will cover the following topics:
- TikTok from a personal account to professional influencer
- Numbers, influencers, demographics, terminology, …
- Misunderstanding of TikTok
- The voice of the young generation – your future employees and business partners
- Is the MICE industry ready for TikTokers collaborations and campaigns?
- TikTok B2B influencer campaigns
- How to use Tik Tok in the era of Coronavirus – time to learn new digital skills
Free registration on Eventbrite. B2B Influencers Marketing Chat Series with Nyomi Rose about TikTok.
About our Influencer Marketing Chat Series
Welcome to the B2B Influencer Marketing Chat Series where we talk about influencer marketing in the world of MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events). We speak with people from all around the globe about the role, the meaning, impact and possibilities of B2B influencer marketing. Season 01 regular hosts: Mariska Kesteloo & Alessia di Raimondo interviewed MICE industry leaders and influencers.
You can listen to us and our guests on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts.
The second season of B2B Chat Series
We launched the second season of B2B Influencer Marketing chat series in November 2020. Follow us on Eventbrite and signup for coming chats with influencers, CVB`s representatives and many other interesting guests from the MICE industry and Social Media world. We started the second season with Instagram Influencer – Phil Gonzalez and our new regular host Jaroslaw Marciuk.
World of MICE – events on Eventbrite registration.
The TikTok campaign for eventprofs and content (text and videos) have been created by Nyomi Rose. She is a final year Events Management Student who has flourished during this COVID-19 era through leveraging her social media to spread positivity, passion and love for the events industry. In six months Nyomi has transformed her skillset and has developed a status as young professional woman within the world of events, becoming a prominent figure in the pursuit of diversity, sustainability, social media optimisation and youth empowerment through her Instagram and LinkedIn pages. Nyomi empowers and provides impactful insight to individuals and SME’s to optimise their social media and improve their marketing strategy. Nyomi is a Tech, AI and Data enthusiast and aims to bridge the events digital gap through sharing her knowledge and insight into the new digitised world.
Website: whatnyomidoes.com